NINTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART V 193 
the prevalence of various weeds throughout the state. These replies 
covered all portions of the state, and about three-fourths of them report 
the presence of quack grass, wild mustard, curled and smooth dock, 
cockle burs and squirrel-tail grass; about one-half of them report the 
presence of Canada thistle; about three-fourths of the replies report the 
presence of these noxious weeds upon the highways and a great many 
of them report their presence upon the railroad right-of-way and private 
grounds. 
The state already has some weed legislation, part of which is as dras- 
tic in form as can be devised. The statute makes a failure to destroy 
Canada thistle, an offense punishable by a fine not to exceed one hundred 
dollars ($100.00), but as a matter of fact the law has never been en- 
forced and might just as well not be on the statute books at all so far 
as any actual effect it has had on the weed situation. 
As a result of the investigation made and of our understanding of the 
present inadequacy of existing statutes, a bill has been drawn of which 
an outline is given here: 
The bill makes it the duty of every owner or occupant of lands to en- 
tirely destroy the weeds named in the law, which are quack grass, Canada 
thistle, cockle bur, wild mustard, sour and curled dock, smooth dock, 
squirrel tail grass and wild parsnip. Notice having been given by any 
citizen to the township trustee, or the mayor, city clerk, or street com- 
missioner of a city, of the presence of any noxious weeds such officers 
are charged with the duty of giving official notice to the owner or occu- 
pant of the land to destroy the same within ten days. If the owner or 
occupant is not to be found, or if the owner or occupant neglects to des- 
troy the weeds, it becomes the duty of the official giving the notice to 
cause the weeds to be destroyed and all costs may be levied as a special 
tax against the property upon which such weeds were destroyed and col- 
lected as other taxes. 
The board of supervisors may appoint a weed inspector for each town- 
ship to report on the presence of noxious weeds and give notice to owners 
requiring the destruction of the weeds. Compensation is to be fixed by 
the board of supervisors and paid out of the county fund. It is made the 
duty of road supervisors, or other officers responsible for the care of high- 
ways, to destroy noxious weeds mentioned in the law and to cut all weeds 
in the highway in time to prevent them from seeding. It is made un- 
lawful to transport along the highway any straw, hay or nursery stock 
wnich may contain any seeds, roots, or root-stalks, of the weeds men- 
tioned in the act. 
The statute makes the botanist of the State Agricultural Experiment 
Station to the state botanist and makes it his duty to investigate and 
ascertain the presence and extent of noxious weeds throughout the state 
and with the approval of the director of the Experiment Station and the 
secretary of the State Department of Agriculture to make recommenda- 
tions for methods for their destruction, and to report by means of bulle- 
tins to the State Department of Agriculture. The board of supervisors 
of each county is required to report to the state botanist the extent of 
the distribution of noxious weeds, and expenses incurred in their destruc- 
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